|
Global PeaceWorks | |
peace among religions is the key to world peace |
||
PeaceWorkers of 2003Erica Olsen
|
 Sharing with local people is an important part of Global PeaceWorks programs |
Erica received her Master's degree is Social Work from the State University of New York in Albany. She has received numerous awards for her civic engagement including the Ralph Sidman Memorial Scholarship for Civic Awareness and the Fostering Human Diversity Award. She is a center for Women in Government and Civil Society Fellow and has received a graduate certificate in Non-Profit Management and Leadership.
It is difficult to put into words an experience that encompassed every human emotion. On the way to India, I thought about my experience in Africa and how it would compare. I wanted to see the children’s faces and the hope and happiness that gleam from them despite the surrounding despair. I wanted to see those faces because it would be a reminder, as in Africa, that hatred, greed, and violence are learned emotions and behaviors. It is in those children’s faces that you’re reminded that most of us are born wanting love and peace. I had come back from Africa with full optimism and motivation. Not only did I return from India full of optimism and motivation, but also full of passion and spirit.
I did see those children, living in such unthinkable poverty - yet gleaming with hope displayed by their bright eyes and wide smiles. In their faces I saw hope and life, and from them I gained strength. Now more able to confront the world and all the issues that we face. They proved to me that we are all interdependent and that we each can make a difference.
 Visiting a community Gurudwara in Merauli with Titus from India and Dinesha of Sri Lanka |
Yet the experience of India brought so much more than I had hoped for. The other participants of the group, who are now all part of my family, all taught me something amazing. We lived this journey together, working off of each other’s faith and hope. The diversity of our group made our connections stronger, as we held nothing but respect for one another. Each one of us holds a deep passion to do something different, something meaningful – and in each other we found a solid support system.
The thought of taking part in an inter-religious project made me nervous at first. Growing up, my very creative and wise mother had left the door open for me to choose my own religion and in doing so supported my exploration into different faiths. In the end I did not pick a faith, but instead created my own definition – that faith is what each individual finds inside them that gives them strength. Whatever that may be, whatever religion, whatever God…whatever is right for that person. I embraced my own spirituality in India while at the same time learning about several religions. It is unfortunate that we’re not constantly surrounded by free-spirited, open-minded, non-judgmental experiences, but because of that misfortune I am all the more appreciative of India and those that I met there.
In terms of the actual program, both my hunger for a true experience and my thirst for knowledge were satisfied. The combination of the conferences and workshops and the hands-on experience was excellent. The diversity of the group was another major factor that enriched the program. I greatly enjoyed the grassroots nature of the program in which every participant was an equal and each had his or her role. In contrast to just going along to a pre-scheduled program in which you mainly perform the motions without conjuring up the thoughts, I felt a part of the program and a part of the experience.
Overall, the experience was absolutely amazing. Every day I close my eyes for a moment to return to India and it is the faces of the children that I see and the determination of all the participants that I feel.
|
|